Following an exciting first round, we break down the favorite picks, most pleasant and biggest surprises, most under-appreciated pick, worst move and more.
Peyton Manning, Mario Williams, Mike Wallace and Carl Nicks headline an intriguing free agent class that can shift the balance of power this offseason.
The Eagles seemingly came out of nowhere to sign Nnamdi Asomugha as they eye a trip to the Super Bowl.
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Week One is in the books and the surprises are many. But as any experienced gambler or seasoned observer of the NFL can tell you, the first and last weeks of the season are sucker bets. So before 49ers and Dolphins fans start clamoring for playoff tickets, or Mike's (Shanahan and Tice) start looking for new gigs, let the unpredictability of Week 1 die down and reality set in for the next few weeks.
The Niners pulled the biggest upset, downing the Rams. A closer look reveals how misleading this game's results can be. The Niners attained just 12 first downs, tied for second fewest in the league with the Bucs and Texans and just one more than the offensively hopeless Bears. Only one first down came via the run, and for the day the Niners averaged under 2 yards per carry against a highly suspect rush defense.
They had just one drive all game that lasted more than 5 plays, and that was assisted by 2 Rams penalties that wiped out an incomplete pass and a 1-yard run. Meanwhile the Rams, playing from behind in desperation offense mode, racked up a league-high 26 first downs. Granted the game situation dictated much of the style of play in the second half, but after scoring on their opening drive of the 3rd quarter, the Niners offense gained just 6 yards in the final 27 minutes. Without a punt return for a touchdown and a flukishly bad red zone cover scheme by the Rams, the Niners actually showed very little positive all afternoon.
Of course they still got the win, and the dubious legend of Mike Martz losing what should be easy wins grows. Niners fans should relish the victory, for there is no reason other than poor coaching and game preparation by the Rams that the Niners won that game. With a dreadful offensive performance and bendable defense, I wouldn't count on many more Niners wins, fluke or not. Reality sets in for Week 2, as they travel to Philadelphia to face the defending NFC champs. Even with McNabb potentially slowed by a chest injury, the Eagles are highly motivated and coming home after holding an explosive Atlanta team to two touchdowns.
The other big surprise was the complete ineptitude of the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings in Week One. Even though they were very different scenarios, the main culprits were the same in both: turnovers and dreadful offensive line play. I expected the Kansas City defense to be much improved, but the inexplicable inability of Chad Pennington to hang onto the football completely doomed the Jets. That and the fact they didn't pick up a single first down via the run. Factor in that in their 13 rushing attempts on first downs, they gained just 37 yards. Throw in three sacks and 12 QB pressures and that equals a badly outplayed O-line. Chad Pennington is a heady QB, but he's not a scrambler and not at his best on quick-developing plays. You can't expect, or correct for, seven fumbles. You can change blocking reads and personnel, and I expect Herman Edwards & Co. to do that with aplomb. And about those 27 points the D gave up? Sure, the Chiefs ran at will against the vaunted Jets defense, but the Chiefs can run at will against pretty much whomever they want to. Look for the Jets D to look much better, and for the offensive line to step up as well, at home against a Miami team coming off it's own surprise victory over Denver. Of course that makes the Broncos candidates for a bounceback themselves, but until I see one WR get open within 20 yards from scrimmage, the trampoline is closed in Denver.
The Vikings started a completely new G-C-G on the line, and by the end of the first drive it was apparent the Bucs D-line could manhandle them on every play. The Vikings abandoned the run because Culpepper nearly handed the ball to the Bucs D-linemen on almost every handoff. Coach Tice quickly yanked right guard Marques Johnson, but he was only 1/3 of the problem. Daunte Culpepper had an atypical off day, one that can be chalked up to inexperience working with his Moss-less receiving corps and the poor line protection. The line gets a chance to start over against a Bengals front that couldn't get to Browns QB Trent Dilfer behind four brand new starters, and gave up over 5 yards per carry. It's hard to fathom the talented Vikings falling to 0-2, though the Bengals in Cincy is a tough draw.
I also wouldn't expect another pathetic performance from the Favre-led Packers, though that team is on a serious decline. Playing the defensively challenged Browns should help Favre find comfort with his receivers as they struggle to replace Javon Walker. The Packers can bounce back from their ineptitude versus Detroit and yet still struggle against the improved Browns.
